Em's Crap! (CLOSED)

[MJB]

Thanks for the feedback guys! Version 2 is now the "official" version.

Now it's time for Tomato Thursday!!

This cover is perhaps my most favorite of the 5...

[juancho]

Awsome job MJB!
Kid rocket's face is priceless

[PreRaphaelite]

I can see why this is your favourite. You've used a rich palette that gives the piece a lot of energy without being garish or distracting. The lighting is particularly successful, notably for the navy figure in front (I forgot his name - woops!). He works very well as the focal character - his facial expression and pose suggest there's more to him than we're seeing, and that someone, somewhere, is going to pay for crossing him. I'm also glad to see he has a regular-sized head! 


The layout is very clean and well-considered and I like how everything sits comfortably in the composition. Moreover, you've given a nice balance of fore-mid-background planes to draw the eye into the scene and the inking is tight and crisp as I have now come to expect from you. 

When it comes to nitpicking, the main thing that niggles with me is Kid Rocket's left arm (our right). The way it's positioned it seems as though his shoulder is covering his chin, which is pretty peculiar as it gives the impression his arm is coming out from his front/chest. The glove could also be tapered a little to help shape it and give it a similar look to his right hand (our left).  I also wonder if it would have been worth giving eyes to the third silhouette, to help emphasise the presence of the humanoid barricade - unless he's the kind of guy who blinks during photographs? And finally, I'm not sure I'm completely sold on the purposeful unfinished/rough lower halves of the silhouettes. I'm at that stage of 'does it, doesn't it work' and will probably decide it's fine when I come back later. I'm just wondering if it would work better as a complete silhouette, a gradient fade, or a staggered gradation of broken horizontal/diagonal lines.

All in all, I would have to say this is my favourite Influx cover to date.

[Tomato]

Psst... PreR... I think KR's body is faced away from the camera, and he's just looking back over his shoulder.

[PreRaphaelite]

Psst... PreR... I think KR's body is faced away from the camera, and he's just looking back over his shoulder.

Ah, I see. Unfortunately, that only serves to highlight the confusion of the character's positioning. It's slightly too ambiguous, that I can read him as forward-facing or looking back over his shoulder. I can see now the reason behind the dipped shoulder angle, though I still feel his hands might be amplifying my confusion, as I initially read lefty as palm-forwards and righty, knuckles-forwards. Additionally, the almost full-face shot throws me. Were we given a less direct side-glance over the shoulder it would probably read easier. It's just a minor issue, but even the slightest ambiguity can taint a piece!

[Reepicheep]

I like this one a lot! But I agree, I couldn't figure out what KR was doing here.

[MJB]

It's odd... I've been looking at this so long I just can't see what you guys are seeing. I guess I could have turned his head away from the camera more. *shrugs*

As always thanks for the feedback!

[Deaths Jester]

I agree with most of what PreRaph says about the character's positioning.  I also am a bit on the fence, shall we say, on the look of Kid Rocket's face and body...something about it looking like he was added on afterwards and wasn't exactly detailed as much as the main character bothers me.  Not sure what though or if I could describe it more than I already have....

-DJ

[Outcast]

I think i can see why some maybe a bit confused on Kid Rocket's position. Kid Rocket's left hand (left side of the comic) maybe seen like it's Kid Rocket's right hand with the palm facing front, i think it's the small curve on lower left of this hand makes it seem like so. While on the right side of the comic, Kid Rocket's palm seems to be behind our view, with the absence of any curve like that on the left side.
As for Kid Rocket's head, if we can only see his body was tilted in an angle it would explain why we can see much of his face while looking back and over his shoulder. But if people were to assume that his back is parallel with Chynbe's back, it would seem strange how we can see much of his face as opposed to a more side view/glance perhaps?

Anyways i don't usually notice these kinds of things unless people point it out. I like the classic comic cover theme it has, that of being surrounded by enemies with guns/weapons. Chynbe looks great as well. Great job overall.

[MJB]

So after last Tomato Thursday I concluded that my favorites do not equal yall's favorites... Lesson learned.

"New" this week is kinda in question. I opted to use one of my old drawings as the main subject of a new cover. The bottom character is a new drawing.

Here's a little contest. First person to identify where the main drawing came from will get their avatar drawn by me*. Shouldn't be too hard for anyone who actually followed the art forum...

Cover Dated: April 1953
Featuring: Admiral Awesome & The Bronze Bomber!


-MJB

*=Spud isn't eligible because he sucks donkey wieners.

[Reepicheep]

I really like this one. And I KNOW I've seen that pose before. The only change I'd make would be moving Professor Pain up the panel a little, so that he is looking at Admiral's face instead of reading his T-shirt. He's a very spooky character, though. But Bronze Bomber really stood out for me - he looks fantastic.

Spoiler

I thought I'd cheat and check the archives, but you're clearly too smart for me. All the picture links are borked. I know I've seen the picture you've based this character's pose on, but can't recollect where. As a stab in the dark, was this a villains reborn piece?

[PreRaphaelite]

Spoiler

So after last Tomato Thursday I concluded that my favorites do not equal yall's favorites... Lesson learned.

Not so, Meej! I distinctly remember concluding: "All in all, I would have to say this is my favourite Influx cover to date." I didn't mean for such a minor critique to become so overemphasized that it drowned out the positive aspects of the cover. I (and I'm guessing most posters) really did find it impressive.

*=Spud isn't eligible because he sucks donkey wieners.

Which is why we don't let him enter the clubhouse with the rest of the cool kids.

First person to identify where the main drawing came from...

Arg. Nobody told me I had to have a memory. I can only guess that it was originally part of a scene where Meej was dying again, and leave it at that.

Now, to the art.

For this cover, the first thing I noticed was the sedate but warm colour palette and the dramatic change in composition, both of which I really like. Again it shows you're experimenting, so thumbs up. Unsurprisingly I'm loving your use of fonts here, which seem to fit the comic perfectly, and the dynamic between the 'Admiral Awesome' label and the 'Professor Pain' arrow works really well. What I think works best about the composition is the split frame. It's something different, fills the space well and, despite consisting of a relatively simple group of elements (three figures all on roughly the same plane with no definite background) there's a lot for the eye to take in without inundating it. The costume designs are also very funky and I especially like the open-necked Bronze Bomber costume.

I have to agree with Reep that moving Professor Pain up or Admiral Awesome down would add to the sense of menace in the image - to give us the impression of a villain towering over his vulnerable foe. That and it feels a little odd seeing a full-body shot of AA while PP seems to be sliding out of the frame.

Furthermore, while I think you've got the ageing effects just right, you might consider playing around with softening or defining the edges of the covers a bit as the hard cropped lines at times come across a little jarring.

It is awesome though. Thanks for sharing this with us. 

Edit:
Oh, and if anyone's interested, Meej puts his inks for his covers on his DeviantArt account - well worth a look.

[MJB]

The more I think about it my little "contest" may be waaaaay too obscure for people. After all it was done back in 2007. -.-;

[PreRaphaelite]

The more I think about it my little "contest" may be waaaaay too obscure for people. After all it was done back in 2007. -.-;

Haha, so around the time I joined the board. I don't think I can even remember the type of thing I posted back in those days let alone the posts I saw! 

[MJB]

Well here we are, the final Tomato Thursday!



That's the last one. To wrap things up here's the thumbnails I threw together to show Tomato the ideas I had for the covers based on his descriptions.




Issue #1 went pretty much unchanged from my thumbnail.

Mater asked me to alter cover #2 so Kid Rocket would be flying. He also wanted Ch'nybe to look less ominous.

Issue #3 was a multiple choice for him. He chose version 2.

Issue #4 went unchanged from the thumb.

For number 5 Tom originally asked me to include characters reacting to Bruiser coming through the wall. After seeing the thumb he asked that I remove them.

So there you all have it. Had a lot of fun doing these & wouldn't mind doing it again some time.

[juancho]

Bruiser is looking good Meejub.
I especiallyl ike his face expresion udner that cool helmet

[MJB]

Thanks Juan.

[MJB]

Since Reepicheep was the only one anywhere near the ballpark in my "contest" he totally won a drawing of his avatar.

This is the newest new thing I've posted recently. I drew this over the past weekend.



Here are the colors...



It seems that you people have grown sour towards my faux comic covers but I couldn't help but turn this image into one. After all it was based on THIS Todd McFarlane Conan cover.



Please leave a comment! My life may depend on it...

-MJB

[juancho]

Ohhhh, Reep is so gonna love this!!

I'm completely thrilled about the skulls and the way he looks just so mad and angry.
It was a really nice touch to use reeps avatar image in your comic cover in the upper left hand.

SOoooo, since nobody guessed, can you tell us which drawing was the base for the prof pain cover?

[Outcast]

Hey i still like the comic covers you're making MJB. And i even tried looking at the archives just like Reep.

My internet connection is still broken at home and office work has been a little bit hectic.

Nice drawings! Gotta go!

[MJB]

SOoooo, since nobody guessed, can you tell us which drawing was the base for the prof pain cover?

The drawing was from an old thread Spud started called "Too Many Cooks" CLICK ME. Originally "Admiral Awesome" was colored in red, white & blue. When I decided to re-use the image I didn't want another USA themed character so I thought the good Admiral could be British.



As a bonus The Bronze Bomber appears in the bottom panel on that page.

[Reepicheep]

Flaaargaaarblegaarbleflaaar!



Looks absolutely amazing, Meej. Its the most spot-on visual anyones done of the character, myself included. He looks so perfectly angry and brilliant at killing stuff.

Juancho is right. I am very, very happy!

[PreRaphaelite]

Arg, sorry Meej (and everyone else). I realise I've been a bit absent of late, but life's been getting in the way a tad.

The latest and last Influx cover is smashing (pun intended). Bruiser has a great deal of character in his face, with a subtle hint of mania in his eyes. The composition is simple and direct, with a central weighting wherein all the action occurs. My favourite aspect of the cover is that nothing appears safe - every element on the cover has been disturbed and made vulnerable by Bruiser's dramatic entrance. Although not immediately noticeable, it would be nice to have a bit more of an idea of how Bruiser's body continues beneath his waist/right forearm, as he seems a wee bit bisected at the moment. Finally, the reddish pink hue for the background was a good choice because it emphasises the anger, violence and action of the piece without overwhelming it.

As to Reepicheep - wow. It's a very loyal and convincing recreation of his avatar, and I love seeing all the stages of inking, colouring and cover-fying and the glimpse at the inspiration behind the picture. You perfectly capture a moment of angst and primal fury, and I find myself wanting to turn the cover to discover the story behind the man. The inking, the stance, the facial expressions (of Reep and the skulls) - it's all grand. It's also cool to see your use of a dry brush/dry pen technique for the background shadows/fire. Even without your signature, I can read you instantly from this piece, so excellent job.

[Ephemeris]

Great artwork as always Meej!  You have a unique style that captures the action and emotion and conveys that to the observer.  I particularly like Reep's avatar, the zombies, General Victory/Bludlust cover and Lou on his throne. 

The Kalenta/Chronotrapper piece you did for me is hanging on the wall in my computer room, I love it. 

[MJB]

Thanks for the comments guys! It really means a lot to me.

General Victory #127
Cover Dated: May 1973
The Avengers of Justice Reunited!
Featuring: White Lightning, Night Hawk & BrainStorm



-MJB

[naitvalis]

heeeyyy nice one MJB  , this is quite possibly my favourite work of your comic house!

[juancho]

niiiice team up there!!
I gotta say my favorite has to be night hawk, i love his black-ops gear/costume.

Really nice cover meejub

[XStream]

Hey MJB! I just wanted to let you know that I am really digging the artwork. Work, school, and family life has me lurking more again; but I always try to get by the Art Forum to check on your thread and a few others.

I for one, love the comic covers! Keep them coming. Are all of these (except Reep's) from a few years back? What is something that you are working on currently?

[MJB]

I for one, love the comic covers! Keep them coming. Are all of these (except Reep's) from a few years back? What is something that you are working on currently?

Been making these fake comic covers for about a year now. I've only recently been showing them to people. Until I started this thread back up I just made them for fun.  I have like 5 or 6 finished & waiting to show off with a couple more on the drawing board (literally).

I'm currently experimenting with 11" x 17" bristol board. Having a bigger canvas has really opened up what I can do but the bigger paper still intimidates me. LOL!

I've also started playing with grayscale markers.

[PreRaphaelite]

Ooo....
Aaaa....

Now that's a comic I would read.

Another dynamic, high-energy piece with some brilliant character designs and a lot of style. White lightning is instantly my favourite character because (even though he has a silly headpiece  ) he is rocking that cape. The slightly smug look on GV's face is also highly amusing.

You'll probably beat me for saying something so obvious, but it would be nice if the group composition were moved left a tad to save BrainStorm from the gutter - another 'in retrospect' comment, I'm sure. And I must admit, after so many covers I would love to see some more sequential work from you - especially now that you've so thoroughly wetted our appetites.